Our FO win % is 46.9% right now. That places us 29th out of 30 teams this season.

To be fair, we were 9th last season, and that was with our dreadful record and Elias switching to center. Prior to Oates' arrival, Zajac won draws as 46.9%, 51.2%, 53.1% and 52.9% clips. Last year with Oates? He won 55.3%.

Zajac is out. Steckel is gone. Elias has taken almost twice as many draws as anyone else on the team, and he's brutal. I don't care if you have Oates, Nieuwendyk, Brind'Amour and Stan friggin Mikita giving lessons ... with breaks like that, you're not gonna have a good year at the dot.

It's still very rare, I've never heard of an assistant walking the plank in the NHL. Montreal, well that doesn't surprise me as much since everything is either a police investigation or a tabloid show.

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"The Devils have high standards, that's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do." - Pat Burns

The New Jersey Devils win Stanley Cups everywhere:-NHL record for most road wins in the playoffs - 10-1 in '95 and 10-2 in '00-NHL record for most home wins in the playoffs - 12-1 in '03

I don't usually endorse firings, but I think it is time for Oates to go. The PP has just been atrocious the past two seasons under his watch. The personnel is there for it to be successful, but right now everything is wrong with it.

Not sure who you bring in to get it going though.

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"The Stanley Cup has fallen from the Stars. The new millennium has its first Stanley Cup Champion, and it's the New Jersey Devils." Mike Miller calling the Devils winning the Stanley Cup.

"It goes to the captain and then there are handoffs during a skate around the ice" Mike Emrick as Scott Stevens is being presented the Stanley Cup.

I think its as easy as taking kovalchuk off the point. You can't do that tl zajac comes back though because no other forward is good at the point but zajac. At least for now take kovalchuk off for the full 2 minutes. He's a defensive liability and every team knows the puck is going to him. Look at the penlaty kills againt us. They have two guys pressuring each pointman, its crazy. Larsson is also terribe on the point. He is probably our slowest skater, so even if he's in position he loses every foot race and then it becomes a breakaway. Kovalchuk-greene and larsson-fayne or tallinder-fayne for the points for now. Then just replace kovalchuk with zajac and put kovie on the boards where he should be.

I think its as easy as taking kovalchuk off the point. You can't do that tl zajac comes back though because no other forward is good at the point but zajac. At least for now take kovalchuk off for the full 2 minutes. He's a defensive liability and every team knows the puck is going to him. Look at the penlaty kills againt us. They have two guys pressuring each pointman, its crazy. Larsson is also terribe on the point. He is probably our slowest skater, so even if he's in position he loses every foot race and then it becomes a breakaway. Kovalchuk-greene and larsson-fayne or tallinder-fayne for the points for now. Then just replace kovalchuk with zajac and put kovie on the boards where he should be.

Disagree, Kovy is fine. The main problem I see is zone entry. Elias hasnt been doing a good job getting into the zone, neither has Henrique on the second unit. I prefer to see Zubrus carry it. Hes a decent stick handler and worst case scenario, he's hard on the forecheck

Do you really think this is Oates' fault? Guys like Elias, Parise, Kovalchuk, Zubrus, Sykora, and so on need to be taught how to perform on the power play? Give me a break. Lou wouldn't have kept him with the new coaching change if he wasn't an asset. He can only teach these guys so much. Our power play is embarrassing because our team treats it like they are getting root canal.

I'm sorry but if this is YET ANOTHER coach that this coach killing team isn't responding to, then the bulk of the blame gets directed at Lou.

The last time the Devils performed well offensively? Sutter. He wasn't a players coach because he actually made them accountable and made them a tough team to play against.

Agree....... Cant go firing coaches...... Oates isnt playing the PP. So the reason why Kovalchuk gives up the puck in our own zone is because Oates is the coach? LOL..... I agree with you njdevil26, the players need to produce and stop making mistakes.

we arent exactly lighting the lamp 5-5 so why are we so worried about a good PP?

Disagree, Kovy is fine. The main problem I see is zone entry. Elias hasnt been doing a good job getting into the zone, neither has Henrique on the second unit. I prefer to see Zubrus carry it. Hes a decent stick handler and worst case scenario, he's hard on the forecheck

Kovy is fine? What season are you watching? He isnt fine, he should be playing much better. He was brought in to lead this team offensively and score goals and he isnt doing that.

Agree....... Cant go firing coaches...... Oates isnt playing the PP. So the reason why Kovalchuk gives up the puck in our own zone is because Oates is the coach? LOL..... I agree with you njdevil26, the players need to produce and stop making mistakes.

we arent exactly lighting the lamp 5-5 so why are we so worried about a good PP?

Kovy is fine? What season are you watching? He isnt fine, he should be playing much better. He was brought in to lead this team offensively and score goals and he isnt doing that.

"A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness."

Bobby Holik wouldn't name a (Christmas) song. He said: "Music means nothing to me." When Tom Gulitti of the Record suggested he'd be called Scrooge, Holik said: "It won't be the first time." -Bobby Holik Christmas 2008

“I made a decision to be here. Just because the team is going through a rough time doesn’t mean you leave. This has become my second home. I love playing here. Patrik Elias January 31, 2011

Watch one of the good PP's in this league and look at their sense of urgency and how they score.. Our strategy is pretty much the opposite..

We have Zach and Clarky, 2 guys who should be getting to the front of the net to either screeen a shot from the point (Kovy pp goal in NSH) or bang home rebounds (Zach's forte).. We give the goalie a clear view of the ice and pretty much are only effective if we can thread a cross-ice through their D to get a 1-timer.. That hasn't happened a lot and it won't in the NHL

So I see it as a PP system change

Edit: Forgot 1 big thing that they just highlighted the Red Wings doing well on NHL Network.. MOVEMENT!! Our PP is pretty stagnant.. Maybe the guys at the point move around a little but for the most part we just stay in the same places.. On the PP, movement confused the D and gets them out of position